Advantages

Disadvantages

Thanks for Reading :)

~~~~~~~~~The Price~~~~~~~~~

I purchased my Zyliss Garlic Press a few years ago from my local Asda supermarket for around £9. It can also be purchased online from Amazons website for £12.29, Tesco are selling if for £13.94, and the Ocado website selling it for £16.00 which does seem a bit much for a garlic press! This garlic press is available from quite a few online stores as well as well known supermarkets, so its worth looking around for the best price as I think paying over 12.99 is a bit excessive for a garlic press.

~~~~~~~~~Specifications~~~~~~~~~

* Uniquely designed garlic press with aluminium coating

* Removes skin without mess--no need to peel

* Steady throughput of garlic

* Easy to clean; dishwasher safe

* Dimensions: 235mm (l) x 225mm (w) x 190mm (h)

~~~~~~~~The Design~~~~~~~~

The design of is pretty simple, it is made from metal material and small in size measuring approx 235mm in length, 225mm wide and 190mm in height. It has an aluminium coating that give it a nice grey metallic appearance. It does look a lot like a nut cracker, it has two curved handles at either side and a large box end with holes underneath. Inside the the top half of the presser holds the pressing mechanism and consist of small spike like ends which does all the crushing and pressing.

~~~~~~~~Experience~~~~~~~~

I found the Zyliss Garlic Press very simple to use, all you have to do is move the two handles in an outward motion and insert a garlic clove and then simply press down the two handles like you would when using a nut cracker. The excellent part about this garlic press is that it also removes the garlic skin in the same process, so you don't have to waste time pealing all the garlic pieces before inserting it into the presser. I don't have to apply much pressure when using the handles to press the garlic, instead a normal light squeeze of the handles does the job just as well, allowing the pressing mechanism to push out garlic puree through the small holes located underneath the square box in which the garlic resides. Once the garlic is pressed out, which only takes a couple of seconds to do, you then move the handles in an outward position and the inside of the box will be visible and hold the remaining garlic skin, so you don't have to worry about getting bits of garlic skin in your dishes.

I found that the garlic press was also comfortable to hold, as the handles have a well curved design that allows good hand grip and allows good control over the pressing process. It is very lightweight weighing approx 150 g, so my wrists or hands in general don't t feel tired after using the garlic press. I actually do have quite weak wrists and found that using this doesn't cause me any discomfort and instead requires minimal effort in my part to actually press the garlic, as the appliance does the hard work for you.

It also saves a lot of preparation time using this garlic press, I found it manages to press garlic in seconds and therefore can get through a large quantity of garlic fairly quickly. The cleaning process is also painless, as it comes with a plastic tool that you press through the holes to get rid of any stuck residue. It is also dishwasher proof, so you can pop it in the dishwasher along with your other dishes for a clean; however I find it very easy to wash by hand and takes only a few minutes to rinse and scrub.

~~~~~~~~Conclusion~~~~~~~~

Overall this is an excellent garlic press; it is easy to use, lightweight, automatically peels garlic for you and produces great results. The price is a little steep for what it is, seeing that some places are selling this garlic press for £15 plus, however I would say it is definitely worth £9-12 price tag.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

A great Garlic press if you ignore the price!

I like to use garlic in my cooking but my husband hates finding chunks of the stuff in his food so I always have to use a good garlic press so that he doesn't start complaining. A piece of my last press eventually went missing so I had to find a replacement.

I came across the Zyliss press in a local supermarket. I didn't notice the price when I popped it in my trolley but it was only later when looking at my receipt that I realised that it cost £15. At that price I think it should be able to cook dinner by itself really! I have now seen it on Amazon for £12.49 but I do not think this is the "2" model as it doesn't have the blue cleaning gadget in the handle.

Having discovered that I appeared to have bought the world's most expensive garlic press I had high hopes that this would be amazing and that I would notice a real improvement over my last cheap model.I am pleased to say that the first thing I noticed about this press was the convenient packaging. It cam attached to a stiff board with one wire attachment, none of that annoying, impossible to open blown plastic packaging here. Much better for both my temper and the environment.

The press I have is the Susi 2 model. It is made of metal with a pale grey, matte appearance. I was immediately impressed by how robust it felt and it also looked smart. Upon opening the handles the top handle flipped completely out of the way to reveal a good sized hopper into which to put the cloves. I usually put a couple of generously sized cloves in without any problems. I was in the habit of peeling my cloves but the manufacturers stated that this wasn't necessary with this press and I must say that I have found it to work perfectly well with unpeeled cloves.

The actual press part inside the handles is not in a fixed position, it is attached on a pivot which means that occasionally it doesn't drop immediately into the hopper, you make have to nudge it into the right position. This pivoting motion means that it can accommodate a large number of cloves in the hopper and it also means that it is easy to wash around.

The handles are then squeezed together. The manufacturers state that this is an ergonmical design and I must say that I find the handles very comfortable to use and it doesn't seem to take much force to crush the garlic at all. My hands are not very large but I still find this press easy to use. The way the handles are designed also means that there is no risk of catching your fingers between them whilst pushing them together.

The garlic comes out very quickly and nicely pulped. I have found that I seem to extract a lot more garlic per bulb with this gadget than with my old press so it is economical to use as well.When I have finished squeezing the cloves it is a simple matter to extract the remaining traces. Inside the handle of the press there is a flexible blue device that clips in just behind the pivoted press head. This has a tapered end which you use inside the hopper to extract the remains of the pressed bulb. You then turn it over to see a spiky surface which is an exact match for the holes in the press; this removes any tiny traces of garlic left inside the holes. This then means the whole press is quick and easy to wash out.

I am not sure of the manufacturer's recommendations but I put the open press and the blue attachment in my dishwasher regularly and they come out nice and clean with no signs of any degradation from the detergents.

I have now owned this Garlic press for about a year and I have used it several times a week during that time. I have been very pleased with its performance and durability and although I thought it was expensive to buy I now think that I have paid for quality and I am happy with my purchase.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

No more bash and chop

So on Xmas day one of my presents was a garlic press. No idea why - no particular fondness for garlic, no significant fear of vampires and never a complaint about the bash and chop method I had been using previously - no reason to get it for me but I'm really glad someone did.

The garlic press is made of gray metal with no other material present. The handles are comfortably curved but there are no significant grip areas. It consists of the bottom handle ending in a square metal bowl with holes in; the top handle has a hinged "masher" with small blunt prongs corresponding to the holes attached to it. Easy enough and it works like any other garlic press with one very simple difference which makes it the garlic press of all garlic presses. Rather than having to peel each garlic clove before pressing you just drop each clove into the bowl and press and out comes squished garlic and in the bowl is the left over peel. You can even stick a couple of cloves into the press at once and get good results. A real time saver and no more fiddly peeling. Unfortunately my press is one of the ones that comes without a cleaning device but taking the peel out isn't too bad. Getting the remnants of the garlic out of the press is no worse than cleaning out any other press - a bit of a soak and a scrub and you're good to go again. I don't have a dishwasher but I would imagine that this would successfully clean the press too.

Having had a little look round the internet for prices it seems as thought the Zyliss press costs around £10. Somewhat expensive for a press but it is a robust tool which does its job highly effectively and saves faffing around in the kitchen peeling little cloves. If you were in the market for a new kitchen gadget you couldn't go wrong with this press.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Basic, essential and long lasting garlic press!

It doesn't matter which garlic press you get, but I sincerely believe that this should be the first kitchen utensil you buy.

I have a Zyliss SUSI garlic press (www.zyliss.com), which I purchased in 1975 in a store in Chicago! With all my moves and relocating, I've never lost this item, and I use it ALL the time. This product and company are still both going strong, and I've seen it used by many chefs on cooking shows all over the world (including your own "The Naked Chef" and other UK shows). I've seen this same press in almost every kitchen store in the UK that I've visited. I guess there's no stopping a good thing.

My garlic press is a simple metal press that has a swing-hammer device that flips into the bowl to crush the garlic and flips out of the way for cleaning. It has no special attachments like different inserts for different texture of crushed garlic, or a special attachment with little spikes on it for cleaning out the holes after use. These two features are available on newer and other models. I think they're both very good ideas, and if you find a garlic press with either or both of them, you might find them very useful. However, the newer Zyliss models now come with a cleaning attachment, but to tell the truth, I find a toothpick and running water is perfectly adequate. (And it does look like that little blue plastic cleaner thing would probably get lost quite easily.)

There are chefs that believe that a garlic press is essential because they believe that cutting garlic with a knife will make it taste sour. I'm not sure if that's true, but I do believe that when I put crushed garlic in a dish it tastes better and the garlic flavour comes through more than when I've chopped the garlic with a knife.

The smaller Zyliss garlic press (like I have) isn't terribly ergonomic with two perfectly straight handles. This doesn't bother me much since I've gotten used to the shape. Still, sometimes my hands do hurt a bit if I'm crushing large amounts of garlic or particularly large cloves. However, the new jumbo Zyliss garlic press has slightly curved handles and I'm sure it is more comfortable to use. It also has a larger capacity holder for the cloves of garlic which I'm sure makes crushing those bigger pieces (or several smaller ones) much easier and quicker than my 30+ year old model.

There are just a few things to remember when using garlic and a press. You should remove the paper-like skin of the clove before you crush it. If the clove is small, you can place it in the bowl of the press and lightly crush until you hear a slight click. Then, remove the clove and the skin should come right off. If the clove is large, you might want to place it on a cutting board under a broad knife and then bang on the knife with your fist. This should crack the skin and make it easy to remove. This might also break up the garlic clove, making it easier to place in the bowl for crushing. And remember to clean the holes of your press as soon as you finish using it. This is because garlic tends to dry out easily and clog the holes of your press. If that does happen, you can place the press in a glass of water for a bit to soften it up, and then cleaning should be easy again.

Also, remember that not only does it taste wonderful, garlic also good for you. It has anti-oxidants and has other health benefits. Mind you, if you're the only one eating it at a romantic meal, you'll need something to freshen your breath if you want to kiss your date/significant other afterwards! But that's a small price to pay in my book.

In conclusion, if you're just starting out on equipping your kitchen, this is one affordable, very long lasting item that is a must for anyone who wants to do more than just warm a tin or pop a ready meal into the oven or microwave. But come to think of it, even if you do only open tins, you might still want a garlic press to spice up your ready-made foods. I see no reason why every household shouldn't have a garlic press. And since it isn't an expensive item, it can easily be the first kitchen utensil you can buy. Go for it! (And you know what, I'm seriously thinking of buying one of the jumbo sized ones - they look great and I'm sure it will last me as long as my first one!) I can only give these five stars and highly recommended.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

I have been through 6 garlic presses in the past and they had either begun to rust over or have broken. I saw this item on BBC Food and Drink, it was their favourite garlic press. The thing that appealed about this was that I wouldn't have to peel the garlic clove before putting it into the press, also there is a little tool with spikes on which sits in the handle and is used to clear out all the residue left inside the press. In the past, washing the residue out of the garlic press was always a job I hated. Fantastic, I thought, if Anthony Worral Thompson says it's good then I'll give it a go so I ordered one. It was a little pricey, but I was prepared to give it a go as I had already spent a small fortune trying other styles out. That was about two years ago now and it is still as good as new. I would certainly recommend one of these to anyone who enjoys cooking with garlic.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

I've had my share of garlic presses and they were just that - garlic presses - not particularly exciting. This, however, is the creme de la creme of garlic presses. It's nice and chunkily sleek, and comes with a little bit to push any bits out of the holes that actually resides in the garlic press handle which is handy (I normally throw things like that in a drawer and forget about them or lose them). But the best thing about it is it's performance. You don't need to peel the garlic clove, you just wang it in and press. It squirts out into almost a puree all of a sudden (a bit like squeezing a spot - sorry!). Then most of the skin and leftover stuff comes out anyway, so it's not particularly awkward to clean.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

A garlic press may seem like an odd think to write about, but this is the best kitchen gadget that I have ever bought and I think everyone should buy one. I have had my share of garlic presses over the years. I had one with a removable press section for easy cleaning. This was good, but eventually it buckled and wouldn’t press any more. I had a good grips one, and that was great too, but eventually it cracked. My latest garlic press is a Zyliss garlic press. The superb thing about this one is that you do not have to peel the garlic. I was a bit sceptical at first, but it really does work. You pop a whole, unpeeled clove in the garlic press, squeeze the handle, and the garlic is forced through it’s skin and out in to a nice puree. The press does not look unconventional. Like most garlic presses it is the same shape as nut crackers. It does have a lever in it which may be what allows it to work so well, but the device is very plain and simple. It is very easy to clean as most of the garlic residue comes out with the skin, and there is a piece of plastic attached for pushing anything else out of the holes. It is made of some kind of lightweight metal, and is dishwasher safe. I think I’ve said about as much as I can about a garlic press, other than I strongly recommend that you buy one. It is well worth the little extra cost.